Long-Term Operations Biological Opinions for the Central Valley Project and State Water Project

In 2008, Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) asked NMFS and the USFWS to initiate consultation on the Long-Term Operations Criteria and Plan (OCAP) for coordination of the Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP). To avoid jeopardizing listed species or adversely modifying their critical habitat, federal agencies consult with the USFWS or NMFS under section 7 of the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). If a federal agency believes that a project may adversely affect a listed species, it then requests a formal consultation with one or both of the Services. The consulting Service then issues a biological opinion about whether a project is likely to jeopardize a listed species or destroy or adversely modify its critical habitat.

The biological opinions issued by the USFWS (in 2008) and by NMFS (in 2009) and subsequent amendment in 2011 concluded that the CVP and SWP operations (including reservoir management and pumping operations) are likely to jeopardize the continued existence of the following federally listed species:

• Endangered Sacramento River Winter-run Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
• Threatened Central Valley spring-run Chinook Salmon (0. tshawytscha)
• Threatened Central Valley Steelhead (0. mykiss)
• Threatened Southern Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of North American Green Sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris)
• Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca, which depend on Chinook Salmon for food)
• Delta Smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus)

The BiOps also conclude that CVP and SWP operations are likely to destroy or adversely modify the designated critical habitats of:

• Delta Smelt
• Sacramento River winter-run Chinook Salmon
• Central Valley spring-run Chinook Salmon
• Central Valley Steelhead
• Proposed critical habitat for the Southern DPS of North American Green Sturgeon

In August 2016, Reclamation requested reinitiation of ESA Section 7 consultation with the USFWS and NMFS on the coordinated long-term operation of the CVP and SWP. Reclamation initiated this process due to the apparent decline in the status of several listed species, new information related to recent multiple years of drought, and the evolution of best available science. Due to the reinitiation of consultation process and resulting unavailability of staff from Reclamation, NMFS, and the USFWS, a biennial science review will not occur in 2019 as intended.

In lieu of a science review, Delta Science Program is providing assistance to Reclamation for a half-day meeting to present a Water Year update and to engage stakeholders on annual report topics. In November 2019 Reclamation will host a meeting and present a Water Year update and provide an opportunity to engage with stakeholders.

Some of the documents identified below are not currently available online, but are available in PDF format upon request. Please contact archives@deltacouncil.ca.gov to request access to them.

Annual Reports

• Clear Creek Technical Team (CCTT) Annual Report of Activities
• Sacramento River Temperature Task Group (SRTTG) Annual Report of Activities
• American River Group (ARG) Annual Report of Activities
• Stanislaus Operations Group (SOG) Annual Report of Activities
• Smelt Working Group (SWG) Annual Report of Activities
• Delta Operations for Salmonids and Sturgeon Group (DOSS) Annual Report of Activities
• 2018/2019 Salmonid and Green Sturgeon Incidental Take and Monitoring Report
• Delta Operations for Salmonids and Sturgeon Group (DOSS) Appendix B: Genetic results for Chinook Salmon collected from the CVP and SWP Delta Fish Collection Facilities during Water Year 2019

Meeting Materials

• Meeting Notice
• Letter from U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to Delta Science Program re: 2019 Biennial Science Review - Reasonable and Prudent Alternative 11.2.I.2 - NMFS’s 2009 Biological Opinion on the Coordinated Long-term Operation of the Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP) (August 14, 2019)

In April 2016, Reclamation and NMFS agreed to temporarily modify the RPA science review frequency from annual to biennial from 2016 through 2020.

Some of the documents identified below are not currently available online, but are available in PDF format upon request. Please contact archives@deltacouncil.ca.gov to request access to them.

Annual Reports

• Stanislaus Operations Group (SOG) Annual Report of Activities
• Smelt Working Group (SWG) Annual Report of Activities
• Delta Operations for Salmonids and Sturgeon Group (DOSS) Annual Report of Activities
• 2017/2018 Salmonid and Green Sturgeon Incidental Take and Monitoring Report
• Sacramento River Temperature Task Group (SRTTG) Annual Report of Activities
• Clear Creek Technical Team (CCTT) Annual Report of Activities
• American River Group (ARG) Annual Report of Activities

Meeting Materials

• A meeting was not held in 2018.

Additional Resources

• Water Year 2018 Hydrology
• Summary Matrix of the NMFS and USFWS Coordinated Long-term Operation BiOps RPA actions

The first biennial independent scientific peer review focused on the implementation of the Long-term Operations Biological Opinions (BiOps) RPA actions for operations and fisheries for each of the four topics:

1. Stanislaus River Watershed/Eastside Division RPA actions across water years 2011-2017
2. Evaluation of the Enhanced Delta Smelt Monitoring Program’s study plan, implementation, lessons learned, and opportunities for improvements
3. Results from the Old and Middle Rivers (OMR) index demonstration project
4. Draft proposed Shasta RPA amendment

Some of the documents identified below are not currently available online, but are available in PDF format upon request. Please contact archives@deltacouncil.ca.gov to request access to them.

Annual Reports

• 2017 Smelt Working Group (SWG) Annual Report of Activities
• 2017 Delta Operations for Salmonids and Sturgeon Group (DOSS) Annual Report of Activities
• 2017 Sacramento River Temperature Task Group (SRTTG) Annual Report of Activities
• 2017 Clear Creek Technical Team (CCTT) Annual Report of Activities
• 2017 American River Group (ARG) Annual Report of Activities
• 2017 Interagency Fish Passage Steering Committee (IFPSC) Annual Report of Activities

Meeting Materials

• Meeting Notice: Dec. 4-7, 2017
• Delta Science Program Independent Review Panel Report for the 2017 Long-term Operations Biological Opinions (LOBO) Biennial Science Review (January 24, 2018).
• Transmittal Letter from Dr. John Callaway to the United States Bureau of Reclamation, NMFS, USFWS, Re: Delta Science Program Independent Review Panel Report for the 2017 Long-term Operations Biological Opinions (LOBO) Biennial Science Review (January 25, 2018).

Review Panel Members

• Panel member bios for the following experts:
  • James Gore, Ph.D., University of Tampa (Panel Chair)
  • Ron Kneib, Ph.D., RTK Consulting Services and University of Georgia (Emeritus) (Lead Author)
  • Brian Kennedy, Ph.D., University of Idaho
  • Nancy Monsen, Ph.D., Civil/Environmental Engineering Consultant
  • Desirée Tullos, Ph.D., PE, D. WRE, Oregon State University
  • John Van Sickle, Ph.D., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (retired)

Charge to the Independent Review Panel

• Charge to the Panel
  • The charge to the panel provides the orientation and focus, materials to be reviewed, and specific questions for the panel to start the review process. It provides the direction, context, and timeline for the review.

Review Materials

• Stanislaus Operations Group (SOG) Annual Report of Activities (water year 2017)
• Stanislaus Operations Group (SOG) Additional Materials
• Stanislaus Operations Group (SOG) Additional Materials Advice Map
• Summary of Enhanced Delta Smelt Monitoring (EDSM) Monitoring for LOBO Independent Review Panel
• Old and Middle River Flow Review: USGS Gauge Readings versus Index Calculations for 2011 through 2017
• Extension of the Old and Middle River index demonstration project letter (March 13, 2017)
• Sacramento River Temperature Task Group (SRTTG) Meeting Agendas and Materials (water year 2017)
• Sacramento River Temperature Task Group (SRTTG) Meeting Notes (water year 2017)

Supplemental Materials

• 2015 DSEM/DSEE Proposal Report
• The Enhanced Delta Smelt Monitoring Program Standard Operating Procedures
• Enhanced Delta Smelt Monitoring Preliminary Abundance Analysis
• Enhanced Delta Smelt Monitoring Preliminary Abundance Analysis Larval/Juvenile Life stages
• Enhanced Delta Smelt Monitoring Preliminary Abundance Analysis Phase 3 Sampling
• DSM TN 23. Fish density estimation in a zero inflated field with doubly truncated geometric sampling
• NMFS Response Re: Extension of the OMR Index Demonstration Project (June 27, 2017)
• 2017 Summary Matrix of the NMFS and USFWS Coordinated Long-term Operation BiOps RPA actions
• The Central Valley Temperature Mapping and Prediction (CVTEMP):
  http://oceanview.pfeg.noaa.gov/CVTEMP/
• Reclamation’s request for Shasta RPA adjustment
• NMFS and Reclamation letter exchange regarding the Shasta RPA adjustment
• Reclamation’s initial response to NMFS’ draft proposed Shasta RPA amendment
• Reclamation’s detailed response to NMFS’ draft proposed Shasta RPA amendment

Meeting Handouts

Stanislaus River Field Trip

• Matthew L. Peterson, Andrea N. Fuller & Doug Demko (2017) Environmental Factors Associated with the Upstream Migration of Fall-Run Chinook Salmon in a Regulated River, North American Journal of Fisheries Management, 37:1, 78-93
• Rotary Screw Trap (RST) & Weir Rainbow Trout (RBT) data
• The Status of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Stanislaus River Summary report of 2015 snorkel surveys by FISHBIO (Matt Peterson, Jason Guignard, Andrea Fuller, Doug Demko). August 2016.
• Analysis of Rotary Screw Trap Sampling of Migrating Juvenile Chinook Salmon in the Stanislaus River, 1996-2005. Cramer Fish Sciences (Brian Pyper and Casey Justice).

Public Comment Materials

James Anderson (Consultant for San Luis and Mendota Water Authority; University of Washington) re: draft proposed Shasta RPA Amendment

• Anderson Presentation on Shasta RPA
• SacPAS Fish Model User’s Manual

Deanna Sereno (Contra Costa Water District) re: OMR Index

• CCWD Report “Use of an Index for Old and Middle River Flow Objectives”
• CCWD Presentation from 10/02/12
• Correction: In late 2012, we worked with USGS to investigate the accuracy of CCWD’s characterization of the data gaps in USGS OMR data as represented on Fig 2-1 in the report and slide 7 in the presentation. We determined that the large data gap from 2002 to 2005 was due to a delay in the QA/QC process and an automatic removal of non-QA/QC’d data in the USGS NWIS system. After QA/QC, USGS identified that much of the data during this period was good, but there are still multi-month gaps where data had to be estimated. Bottom line is that the % of data that is missing dropped from about 30% (as indicated in the report) to about 25%. We updated this figure in subsequent documents and presentations.
• Video of CCWD presentation: Workshop 2 Videos. Date 10/02/12, starts at 1:00:30 on Video 1 and continues on Video 2 available on the State Water Resources Control Board website.
  • Video 1 (start at 1:00:30)
  • Video 2 (continue from beginning)

In April 2016, Reclamation and NMFS agreed to temporarily modify the RPA science review frequency from annual to biennial from 2016 through 2020. In lieu of a science review, Reclamation hosted an informational and update meeting in December 2016.

Some of the documents identified below are not currently available online, but are available in PDF format upon request. Please contact archives@deltacouncil.ca.gov to request access to them.

Annual Reports

• Sacramento River Temperature Task Group (SRTTG) Annual Report of Activities
• American River Group (ARG) Annual Report of Activities
• Clear Creek Technical Team (CCTT) Annual Report of Activities
• Stanislaus Operations Group (SOG) Annual Report of Activities
• Delta Operations for Salmonids and Sturgeon Group (DOSS) Annual Report of Activities
• DOSS Appendix B: 2015/2016 Salmonid and Green Sturgeon Incidental Take and Monitoring Report
• Smelt Working Group (SWG) Annual Report of Activities

Meeting Materials

• Meeting Notice: December 6, 2016
• Letter from NMFS: Re: Proposed Modification to the Annual Review Schedule Required as Part of the Reasonable and Prudent Alternative in the NMFS’s 2009 Biological Opinion on the Coordinated Long-term Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project, June 30, 2016
• Letter from U.S. Bureau of Reclamation: Proposed Modification to the Annual Review Schedule Required as Part of the Reasonable and Prudent Alternative in the NMFS’s 2009 Biological Opinion on the Coordinated Long-term Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project, April 25, 2016

Supplemental Materials

• Shasta Dam Fish Passage Evaluation - Pilot Implementation Plan - U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

This independent scientific peer review focused on the implementation of the Long-term Operations Biological Opinions (BiOps) RPA Actions for operations and fisheries for water year 2015 (October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015) and included:

• Progress on Shasta Reservoir and Sacramento River temperature monitoring, modeling, and management.
• A report on the River Assessment for Forecasting Temperature (RAFT) decision support tool (model).
• A report on the enhanced particle tracking modeling.
• A USFWS report on past, present, and future approaches to incidental take of Delta Smelt.

Some of the documents identified below are not currently available online, but are available in PDF format upon request. Please contact archives@deltacouncil.ca.gov to request access to them.

Annual Reports

• The 2015 Smelt Working Group (SWG) Annual Report of Activities
• 2015 Interagency Fish Passage Steering Committee (IFPSC) Annual Report of Activities

Meeting Materials

• Meeting Notice: November 5-6, 2015
• Report of the 2015 Delta Science Program Independent Review Panel on the Long-term Operations Biological Opinions (LOBO) Annual Review (December 16, 2015)
• Transmittal Letter from Dr. Cliff Dahm to the United States Bureau of Reclamation, NMFS, USFWS, and California Department of Water Resources (December 16, 2015)

Review Panel Members

• Panel member bios for the following experts:
  • James Gore, Ph.D., University of Tampa (Panel Chair)
  • Ron Kneib, Ph.D., RTK Consulting Services and University of Georgia (Emeritus) (Lead Author)
  • James Anderson, Ph.D., University of Washington
  • Nancy Monsen, Ph.D., Civil/Environmental Engineering Consultant
  • Geoff Schladow, Ph.D., Professor, University of California, Davis
  • John Van Sickle, Ph.D., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (retired)

Charge to the Independent Review Panel

• Charge to the Panel
  • The charge to the panel provides the orientation and focus, materials to be reviewed, and specific questions for the panel to start the review process. It provides the direction, context, and timeline for the review.

Review Materials

• USFWS report - “Past, Present and Future Approaches to Incidental Take”
• 2015 Sacramento River Temperature Task Group (SRTTG) Annual Report of Activities
• 2015 Clear Creek Technical Team (CCTT) Annual Report of Activities
• 2015 American River Group (ARG) Annual Report of Activities
• 2015 Stanislaus Operations Group (SOG) Annual Report of Activities
• 2015 Delta Operations for Salmonids and Sturgeon Group (DOSS) Annual Report of Activities
• RAFT decision support tool report for 2015 annual review
• Enhanced particle tracking model report
• Shasta Operations to 2015-08-21 (NMFS)
• Reclamation requesting NMFS concurrence on Contingency Plan and Sacramento temperature Plan for July - November 2015, 2015-06-25
• NMFS determinations on TUC petition and Sacramento River Temperature Plan, 2015-07-01
• Reclamation requesting NMFS concurrence on modified Shasta Temperature Plan, 2015-09-08
• NMFS determination on revised Shasta Temperature Plan, 2015-09-28
• Chronology of the Development of the Sacramento River Temperature Management Plan (TMP) 2015-06-30

Supplemental Materials

• 2015 RPA Summary Matrix of the NMFS and USFWS Long-term Operations BiOps RPAs
• Central Valley Project and State Water Project Drought Contingency Plan, January 15, 2015 - September 30, 2015

Meeting Handouts

• Potential Effects of Central Valley Project Operations on Winter-Run Chinook Salmon Egg Incubation in 2015: A Preliminary Analysis
• Comments on the USFWS WY2016 Adult Delta Smelt Salvage Incidental Take Calculation Proposal - David Fullerton, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

This annual independent scientific peer review focused on the implementation of the Long-term Operations Biological Opinions (BiOps) RPA Actions for operations and fisheries for water year 2014 (October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015) and included:

• Modified Delta Cross Channel Gate Opening Criteria as described in Attachment G of the Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP) Drought Operations Plan and Operational Forecast, April 1, 2014 through November 15, 2014;
• Modifications to the winter-run Chinook salmon Juvenile Production Estimate calculation and use/application of survival data from acoustically-tagged Chinook Salmon releases; and
• A Proposal for Calculating Cumulative Salvage Index Values Used For Estimating Take Likely to Occur under the USFWS Old and Middle River Flow RPA for Adult Delta Smelt.

Some of the documents identified below are not currently available online, but are available in PDF format upon request. Please contact archives@deltacouncil.ca.gov to request access to them.

Annual Reports

• 2014 Interagency Fish Passage Steering Committee (IFPSC) Annual Report of Activities
• 2014 Interagency Fish Passage Steering Committee (IFPSC) Annual Report of Activities Attachments
• The 2014 Smelt Working Group (SWG) Annual Report of Activities

Meeting Materials

• Meeting Notice: November 6-7, 2014
• Report of the 2014 Delta Science Program Independent Review Panel on the Long-term Operations Biological Opinions (LOBO) Annual Review (December 12, 2014)
• Transmittal Letter from Dr. Peter Goodwin to the United States Bureau of Reclamation, NMFS, and USFWS (December 12, 2014)
• Response to the Delta Science Program and Independent Review Panel from the 2014 Annual Review of the Long-Term Operations Biological Opinions from the United States Bureau of Reclamation, NMFS, and USFWS (January 21, 2015)

Review Panel Members

• Panel member bios for the following experts:
  • James Gore, Ph.D., University of Tampa (Panel Chair)
  • Ron Kneib, Ph.D., RTK Consulting Services and University of Georgia (Emeritus) (Lead Author)
  • James Anderson, Ph.D., University of Washington
  • Nancy Monsen, Ph.D., Stanford University
  • John Nestler, Ph.D., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (retired)
  • John Van Sickle, Ph.D., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (retired)

Charge to the Independent Review Panel

• Charge to the Panel
  • The charge to the panel provides the orientation and focus, materials to be reviewed, and specific questions for the panel to start the review process. It provides the direction, context, and timeline for the review.

Review Materials

• Attachment G of the CVP and SWP Drought Operations Plan and Operational Forecast, April 1, 2014 through November 15, 2014
• 2014 Juvenile Production Estimate (JPE) Calculation and Use/Application of Survival Data from Acoustically-tagged Chinook Salmon Releases Report
• 2014 Proposal for Calculating Cumulative Salvage Index Values Used For Estimating Take Likely to Occur under the USFWS Old and Middle River Flow RPA for Adult Delta Smelt prepared by Metropolitan Water District
• 2014 Sacramento River Temperature Task Group (SRTTG) Annual Report of Activities
• 2014 Clear Creek Technical Team (CCTT) Annual Report of Activities
• 2014 American River Group (ARG) Annual Report of Activities
• 2014 Stanislaus Operations Group (SOG) Annual Report of Activities
• 2014 Delta Operations for Salmonids and Sturgeon Group (DOSS) Annual Report of Activities

Supplemental Materials

• 2014 RPA Summary Matrix of the NMFS and USFWS Long-term Operations BiOps RPAs
• Central Valley Project and State Water Project Drought Operations Plan and Operational Forecast, April 1, 2014 through November 15, 2014
• Proposal for a Revised ITL and Expected Take for Adult Delta Smelt Metropolitan Water District July 29, 2014 Draft
• DRAFT Comments on “Proposal for a revised ITL and expected take for adult Delta Smelt” (Ken Newman, August 21, 2014)
• Proposed Response to Ken Newman Comments on Proposed ITL Method Paper (David Fullerton, September 8, 2014)
• USFWS Biological Opinion Sections for ITL

Additional Items Requested by the Panel

• NRDC and The Bay Institute Comments on MWD’s Cumulative Salvage Index and Incidental Take Limit Proposal
• CFS (Cramer Fish Sciences) 2014. A Revised Sacramento River Winter Chinook Salmon Juvenile Production Model. Prepared by Kristopher Jones, Paul Bergman, and Brad Cavallo for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Sacramento, CA. 21 pg.
• CFS (Cramer Fish Sciences) 2010. A Revised Sacramento River Winter Chinook Salmon Juvenile Production Model. Prepared by Kristopher Jones and Paul Bergman, for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Sacramento, CA. 30 pg.

This annual review focused on the implementation of the Long-term Operations Biological Opinions (BiOps) RPA Actions for operations and fisheries for water year 2013 (October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013) and included:

• Shasta Operations in Water Year 2013, including temperature management opportunities and constraints assessed by the Sacramento River Temperature Task Group.
• Proposed modifications to Term and Condition 2a of the NMFS Long-term Operations BiOp, which requires USBR to develop an alternative technique to quantify the incidental take of listed anadromous salmonids species and green sturgeon at the Federal and State export facilities; and
• Retrospective Analysis of Water Operations and Delta Smelt Protective Actions in Water Year 2013.

Some of the documents identified below are not currently available online, but are available in PDF format upon request. Please contact archives@deltacouncil.ca.gov to request access to them.

Annual Reports

• 2013 American River Group (ARG) Annual Report of Activities
• 2013 Stanislaus Operations Group (SOG) Annual Report of Activities
• 2013 Delta Operations for Salmonids and Sturgeon Group (DOSS) Annual Report of Activities
• 2013 Interagency Fish Passage Steering Committee (IFPSC) Annual Report of Activities
• The Smelt Working Group (SWG) 2013 Annual Report of Activities
• The Smelt Working Group (SWG) 2013 Annual Report of Activities - Attachment 1
• The Smelt Working Group (SWG) 2013 Annual Report of Activities - Attachment 2
• The Smelt Working Group (SWG) 2013 Annual Report of Activities - Attachment 3
• 2013 Clear Creek Technical Team (CCTT) Report for the Coordinated Long-Term Operation BiOps Integrated Annual Review

Meeting Materials

• Meeting Notice: November 6-7, 2013
• Report of the 2013 Independent Review Panel on the Long-term Operations Biological Opinions (LOBO) Annual Review
• Transmittal Letter from Dr. Peter Goodwin to the NMFS, United States Bureau of Reclamation and USFWS (December 11, 2013)
• Federal Agencies' Response to the Delta Science Program and Independent Review Panel Report from the 2013 Annual Review Workshop

Review Panel Members

• Panel member bios for the following experts:
  • James Gore, Ph.D., University of Tampa (Panel Chair)
  • Ron Kneib, Ph.D., RTK Consulting Services and University of Georgia (Emeritus)
  • James Anderson, Ph.D., University of Washington
  • Mark Lorang, Ph.D., University of Montana
  • John Nestler, Ph.D., USACE (Engineer Research and Development, retired)¹
  • John Van Sickle, Ph.D., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (retired)

  ¹ Dr. Nestler provided advice to the Panel on subjects relative to his expertise on ecohydraulics and coupled hydrodynamics and fish behavior modeling. He was not tasked with written assignments for the report development

Charge to the Independent Review Panel

• Charge to the Panel
  • The charge to the panel provides the orientation and focus, materials to be reviewed, and specific questions for the panel to start the review process. It provides the direction, context, and timeline for the review.

Review Materials

• Sacramento River Temperature Task Group 2013 Technical Report for the Long-Term Operations BiOps Annual Science Review
• Chinook, Steelhead, and Green Sturgeon Loss Estimation For Skinner Delta Fish Protective Facility and Tracy Fish Collection Facility

Supplemental Documents

• A retrospective analysis of water operations and delta smelt protective actions taken in early Water Year 2013
• Final RPA Matrix for 2013 Annual Review
• December 5, 2011, letter from USBR to NMFS regarding Term and Condition 2a
• January 26, 2012, letter from NMFS to USBR regarding Term and Condition 2a

This year’s annual review focused on the implementation of NMFS’ Long-term Operations Opinion’s Clear Creek RPA Actions (I.1.1 - I.1.6) and the Spring 2012 Delta Operations in lieu of NMFS’ RPA Action IV.2.1 per joint stipulation (Spring 2012 Delta Operations) for operations and fisheries for water year 2012 (October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012) and included:

• Whether implementation of the Clear Creek RPA actions met the intended purposes of the actions;
• The agency’s responses to and implementation of independent review panel recommendations from the prior year’s Long-term Operations Opinion Annual Review on the Clear Creek RPA actions;

Study designs, methods, and implementation procedures used; and

Recommendations for adjustments to implementation of the RPA Actions or Suite of Actions for meeting their objectives.

Some of the documents identified below are not currently available online, but are available in PDF format upon request. Please contact archives@deltacouncil.ca.gov to request access to them.

Annual Reports

• 2012 American River Group (ARG) Annual Review Report
• 2012 Delta Operations for Salmonids and Sturgeon Group (DOSS) Annual Review Report
• 2012 Delta Operations for Salmonids and Sturgeon Group (DOSS) Annual Review Report Appendices
• 2012 Stanislaus Operations Group (SOG) Annual Review Report
• 2012 Sacramento River Temperature Task Group (SRTTG) Annual Review Report
• 2012 Smelt Working Group (SWG) Annual Review Report
• 2012 Smelt Working Group (SWG) Annual Review Report Attachment 1
• 2012 Smelt Working Group (SWG) Annual Review Report Attachment 2
• 2012 Smelt Working Group (SWG) Annual Review Report Attachment 3

Meeting Materials

• Meeting Notice: October 31 - November 1, 2012
• Report of the 2012 Delta Science Program Independent Review Panel on the Long-term Operations Opinions (LOO) Annual Review (December 1, 2012)
• Transmittal Letter from Dr. Peter Goodwin to the NMFS, United States Bureau of Reclamation and USFWS (December 5, 2012)
• Federal Agencies’ Response to the Panel’s Report (July 19, 2013)

Review Panel Members

• Panel member bios for the following experts:
  • James Gore, Ph.D., University of Tampa (Panel Chair)
  • Ron Kneib, Ph.D., RTK Consulting Services and University of Georgia (Emeritus)
  • James Anderson, Ph.D., University of Washington
  • Mark Lorang, Ph.D., University of Montana
  • John Nestler, Ph.D., USACE (Engineer Research and Development, retired)¹
  • John Van Sickle, Ph.D., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (retired)

  ¹ Dr. Nestler provided advice to the Panel on subjects relative to his expertise on ecohydraulics and coupled hydrodynamics and fish behavior modeling. He was not tasked with written assignments for the report development

Charge to the Independent Review Panel

• Charge to the Panel
  • The charge to the panel provides the orientation and focus, materials to be reviewed, and specific questions for the panel to start the review process. It provides the direction, context, and timeline for the review.

Review Materials

• Report: Spring 2012 Delta Operations in lieu of NMFS’ RPA Action IV.2.1 per joint stipulation
• Report Appendices 1: Spring 2012 Delta Operations in lieu of NMFS’ RPA Action IV.2.1 per joint stipulation
  • Appendix A: Joint stipulation
  • Appendix B: RPA Action IV.2.1
  • Appendix C: Summary of expected benefits from alternative operations
  • Appendix D: NMFS Technical Memorandum issued March 16, 2012
• Report Appendices 2: Spring 2012 Delta Operations in lieu of NMFS’ RPA Action IV.2.1 per joint stipulation
  • Appendix E: Tabular summary of Spring 2012 operations and cumulative tag detection data
  • Appendix F: NMFS Determination for Operations per Joint Stipulation During April 1-7, 2012
  • Appendix G: NMFS Determination for Operations per Joint Stipulation During April 8-14, 2012
  • Appendix H: NMFS Determination on April 12, 2012
• Report Appendices 3: Spring 2012 Delta Operations in lieu of NMFS’ RPA Action IV.2.1 per joint stipulation
  • Appendix I: NMFS Determination on April 27, 2012
  • Appendix J: NMFS Determination on May 4, 2012
  • Appendix K: NMFS determination on May 11, 2012
  • Appendix L: Water supply impacts of operations under Joint Stipulation relative to RPA Action
• Excel file: HORB and Survival Exploration Tool for Spring 2012 Delta Operations in lieu of NMFS’ RPA Action IV.2.1 per joint stipulation
• Status Report: Spring 2012 Delta Operations in lieu of NMFS' RPA Action IV.2.1 per joint stipulation
• 2012 Clear Creek Technical Team Report for the Coordinated Long-Term Operation BiOps Integrated Annual Review

This review focused on the implementation of the Operations Criteria and Plan (OCAP) biological opinions RPA actions for operations and fisheries for water year 2011 (October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011) and included:

• Whether implementation of the RPA action met the intended purpose of the Action;
• The agencies’ response to and implementation of independent review panel recommendations from the prior year’s OCAP Annual Review;
• Study designs, methods, and implementation procedures used;
• The effectiveness of the process for coordinating real-time operations with the technical teams;
• Recommendations for adjustments to implementation of the RPA Actions or Suite of Actions for meeting their objectives.

Some of the documents identified below are not currently available online, but are available in PDF format upon request. Please contact archives@deltacouncil.ca.gov to request access to them.

Meeting Materials

• Meeting Notice: November 8-9, 2011
• Report of the 2011 Independent Review Panel on the Implementation of Reasonable and Prudent Alternative (RPA) Action Affecting the Operations Criteria And Plan (OCAP) for State/Federal Water Operations (December 9, 2011)
• Transmittal Letter from Dr. Cliff Dahm to the NMFS, United States Bureau of Reclamation and USFWS (December 14, 2011)
• Federal Agencies' Initial Response to the Panel's Report (December 15, 2011)
• Federal Agencies' Detailed Response to the Panel's Report (June 20, 2012)

Review Panel Members

• Panel member bios for the following experts:
  • James Anderson, Ph.D., University of Washington
  • James Gore, Ph.D., University of Tampa
  • Ron Kneib, Ph.D., RTK Consulting Services and University of Georgia (Emeritus)
  • Mark Lorang, Ph. D., University of Montana
  • John Van Sickle, Ph.D., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Charge to the Independent Review Panel

• Charge to the Panel
  • The charge to the panel provides the orientation and focus, materials to be reviewed, and specific questions for the panel to start the review process. It provides the direction, context, and timeline for the review.

Review Materials and Annual Reports

• 2011 Clear Creek Technical Working Group (CCTWG) Annual Review Report
• 2011 Red Bluff Diversion Dam Technical Team (RBDDTT) Annual Review Report
• NMFS’ 2009 RPA with 2011 amendments: Cover and Enclosure 1
• NMFS’ 2009 RPA with 2011 amendments: Enclosure 2
• 2011 Stanislaus Operations Group (SOG) Annual Review Report
• 2011 American River Group (ARG) Annual Review Report
• 2011 Delta Operations for Salmonids and Sturgeon Group (DOSS) Annual Review Report
• 2011 Sacramento River Temperature Task Group (SRTTG) Annual Review Report
• 2011 Smelt Working Group (SWG) Annual Review Report
• 2011 Smelt Working Group (SWG) Annual Review Report-Attachment 1
• 2011 Smelt Working Group (SWG) Annual Review Report-Attachment 2

This review focused on the implementation of the Operations Criteria And Plan (OCAP) biological opinions RPA actions for operations and fisheries for the time period of June 4, 2009 (date the NMFS’ Opinion was issued) through the prior water year for the NMFS Opinion, and October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010 for the USFWS Opinion, and included:

• The effectiveness of the RPA Actions or Suite of Actions in meeting the objectives of the RPAs;
• Study designs, methods, and implementation procedures used;
• The effectiveness of the process for coordinating real-time operations with the technical teams;
• Potential improvements to the RPA Actions for meeting the objectives of the RPA Actions or Suite of Actions.

Some of the documents identified below are not currently available online, but are available in PDF format upon request. Please contact archives@deltacouncil.ca.gov to request access to them.

Meeting Materials

• Meeting Notice: November 8-9, 2010
• Independent Review Panel's Final Report - Dec. 9, 2010
• Transmittal Letter from Cliff Dahm to the NMFS, USFWS and the United States Bureau of Reclamation - Dec. 14, 2010
• Federal Agencies' Initial Response to the Panel's Report - Dec. 17, 2010
• Federal Agencies' Detailed Response to the Panel's Report - March 9, 2011

Review Panel Members

• Panel member bios for the following experts:
  • James Anderson, Ph.D., University of Washington
  • Ron Kneib, Ph.D., University of Georgia, Emeritus
  • Stacy Luthy, Ph.D., University of the Pacific
  • Pete Smith, Ph.D., USGS retired

Charge to the Independent Review Panel

• Charge to the Panel
  • The charge to the panel provides the orientation and focus, materials to be reviewed, and specific questions for the panel to start the review process. It provides the direction, context, and timeline for the review.

Review Materials and Annual Reports

• Clear Creek Technical Working Group (CCTWG) Annual Review Report
• Annual Report of Activities: Interagency Fish Passage Steering Committee
• OCAP Biological Opinion Review (DRAFT June 2009 - September 2010): Fish Actions Implemented Pursuant to the NOAA Biological Opinion on the Sacramento River, Sacramento River Temperature Task Group
• Red Bluff Diversion Dam Technical Team 2010 Report to the Independent Review Panel
• Annual Review of American River Operations as They Relate to Implementation of the Reasonable and Prudent Alternative for the Central Valley Project and State Water Project Operations Criteria and Plan
• ARG Attachment 1 - USFWS Draft Summary of Lower American River Fish Actions 10-7-2010
• ARG Attachment 2-1 - Meeting Notes Jun 09 - Nov 09
• ARG Attachment 2-2 - Meeting Notes Jan 10 - Sep 10
• ARG Attachment 3 - Chapter 1 - Background
• ARG Attachment 4 - Chapter 3 - Water Operations Summary Jun 09 - Sep 10
• Annual Report of Activities (June 5, 2009 to September 30, 2010): Stanislaus Operations Group (SOG)
• Delta Operations for Salmonids and Sturgeon Group - 2010 Annual Report - October 2010
• Smelt Working Group Report to the Independent Review Panel - Water Year 2010
• Attachment 1 - Delta Smelt Risk Assessment Matrix
• Attachment 2 - Final Smelt Working Group Notes
• Tools for Delta Smelt Management Workshop Summary

Meeting Handouts

• NMFS 2010 Preliminary Proposals for Adjustments of Various OCAP RPA Actions
• Weekly Operations Determination Process
• Selected Delta Water Operation RPAs and Dates of Actions

Background Materials

• NMFS OCAP Opinion, section 11.2.1.2, pages 583-671
• USFWS Biological Opinion on the Long-Term Operational Criteria and Plan (OCAP) for coordination of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project (pages 279-285 and 324-381)
• RPA Summary Matrix of the NMFS and USFWS OCAP Opinion RPAs
• National Academy of Science's March 19, 2010, report
• VAMP peer review report
• State Water Board's Delta Flows Recommendations Report
• Task 3: Green Sturgeon Research